Friday, August 14, 2009

Shooting guard Andre Dawkins, a highly-ranked 2010 basketball recruit, signed his acceptance letter to Duke on Tuesday and will play for the Blue Devils this season, his father said this morning.

Dawkins, who attended Atlantic Shores Christian School (Virginia Beach, Va.), would have been high school senior this fall. But he only needed one more course – English 12 – to graduate, and he passed his on-line final on Monday.

His family plans to hold a graduation party today, where he will receive his diploma. He will move into the Duke dorms on Tuesday.

Because Dawkins had already attending four years of high school – he went to one year of public high school before he transferred to Atlantic Shores and was re-classified as a freshman – his family started pondering a year ago whether he should go to college a year early. Once Duke guard Elliot Williams opted to transfer, leaving the Blue Devils thin on the perimeter, the family approached Duke’s coaches about what it would take for Dawkins to enroll at Duke for this season.

“It’s been a whirlwind,’’ said Dawkins’ dad, who is also named Andre. “But he studied hard, and worked hard to pass his course. And we’re all very excited.”

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About this blog

David Scott has been with the Observer for 28 years and has written about ACC, SEC and other college sports in the Charlotte region. He covers Wake Forest, South Carolina and college soccer for the Observer and (Raleigh) News & Observer.

J.P. Giglio covers the ACC for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1997, and the Observer.

Andrew Carter covers the North Carolina Tar Heels for the Observer and News & Observer.

Laura Keeley covers the Duke Blue Devils for the Observer and News & Observer. Follow her on Twitter.

Chip Alexander covers the Carolina Hurricanes and college football for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1979, and the Observer.

Luke DeCock has worked for The News & Observer since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist for the Observer and News & Observer in August 2008.

Tim Crothers is an author and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is joining the sports staff to write a regular column during the rest of the college basketball season.